How to Teach Kids to Wear Eyeglasses

Your vision is extremely important. Imagine not being able to see a beautiful sunrise, your children and family or an incredible painting.  Poor vision habits can result in eye deterioration or even blindness.  Make sure you’re not guilty of the following sins when it comes to eye care.

According to the American Optometric Association of Ophthalmology, factors such as your eye health, family history and age determine how often you should have your eyes checked.  Babies should have their eyes at 6 months to test for common eye conditions. After children turn 3, they should visit the optometrist every year and this should continue on throughout adulthood.

If you’re overdue for your eye exam, please contact 20/20 Eyeglass Superstore to set up an eye exam.
It can be quite difficult and time consuming to train your children to wear their eyeglasses. This article should help speed up that process.

1. Invest in several, soft, cloth straps in an assortment of bright, funky colors and designs. These are designed to attach to the handles of the glasses, so that the eyeglasses are worn much like goggles, which might interest young children more.
2. Have the child help pick their eyeglasses.
3. Teach them this rule, "On your face or in their case", to minimize the risk of misplacing them.
4. Ask the eye doctor when the glasses should be worn. In some cases, they may need to be worn all the time, while in other cases it may be best to only wear them for certain activities.
5. Tell them to wipe their glasses on their shirts often to keep them clear. Or, provide them with a cloth that is specifically designed for cleaning eyeglasses (depending on the fabric, wiping on a shirt could scratch the glasses.)
6. If it is possible, have the child's first day of wearing the glasses be on a weekend. It often takes a day or two for the eyes to adjust to new glasses. At first, wearing them can be quite similar to looking in a fun house mirror (they can create an illusion of "hills" or bumps in the ground, when one is really on a flat surface -- it can be quite discombobulating!) That goes away after a day or two, but, it might be best if the child can adjust at home, rather than at school.

Tips

• Put them on initially, as soon as they wake up so the habit will develop.
• Remind them the main purpose is to, "See, not be seen!"
• This is easier if older siblings or cousins already wear spectacles, because they won't feel like a freak.
• If the child is self-conscious about wearing glasses, point out how many cool people wear glasses (such as other kids in their class, older siblings they look up to, celebrities or other people in the media whom they admire, etc.) These people can be fictitious (for example, a literary character such as Harry Potter,) if need be.

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